Washington’s 2003 playoff series with Tampa Bay was an all-too-familiar nightmare as the Caps coughed up a 2-0 lead to lose the series and help springboard the Bolts to the 2004 Cup. Now, eight years later, the Capitals finally have their chance to settle the score.

As much skill is on display in Spain, Italy and Central America, the diving, whining, and acting that goes on in those leagues has gone too far. Reactions to Barcelona-Real Madrid and CONCACAF Champions League final inside.

One of the chief complaints about the Southeast Division is its lack of a “classic” inter-division rivalry al a Boston/Montreal or Philadelphia/Pittsburgh, and this is how you build a rivalry like that.

Like every other Caps fan (and Caps player, for that matter), Washington’s first-round win left me salivating at the prospect of who our next opponent might be. Which of the four remaining scenarios is most preferable?

Looking back at the Wizards performance this season, it’s important to consider it in the context of rebuilding, and how their young players developed. That means wins and losses mean less than individual improvement.

I’m not enamored with New York. That’s why D.C. United’s dominance over the Red Bulls over the years has been extra sweet. No, New York, you don’t have the greatest everything in the world: at the very least, we have the better soccer team. Or at least, we did.

Last year, Caps players and fans alike were shocked when the team fell to the Montreal Canadiens in game seven of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals. Expect more from this year’s series against the Rangers.

There is one area of the baseball statistics world where there’s already a lot of data and it bodes well for the Nationals season at the plate: the number of pitches each hitter sees per plate appearance.

Having the experience of swinging a bat or throwing a curveball at the professional level still to this day gets you a pass over logic and probability. But when it comes to managing the team, give me the egghead who never even played minor league ball.

A Hall of Fame linebacker is challenging a Super Bowl MVP, adding yet another dimension to off-season entertainment, inevitably making the NFL more reminiscent of the WWE than a credible professional sports league.